A Permanent Pokémon Store Is Coming to London by 2029

The Pokémon Company has announced a permanent Pokémon retail store for London, due to open by 2029.

The company said the London store will be the first of several permanent Pokémon stores planned outside Asia, according to its UK news announcement. The news was also shared on the company's official PokemonNewsUK account on X, which announced the first permanent physical Pokémon retail store outside Asia.

Pokémon has run shops of this kind before. Between 2001 and 2005, a Pokémon retail location in New York traded as Pokémon Center New York, before it became the Nintendo Store. The company's permanent stores in Japan carry the Pokémon Center name, and so do the pop-up stores it sets up at Pokémon events. The London store will not use that branding, the company said.

The location has not been announced yet. London is already a regular stop for Pokémon fans. The Pokémon European International Championships, the continent's major competitive event, have been held at the ExCeL Centre in the city's Docklands for several years. A pop-up Pokémon Center has been part of that event. Pokémon Center is also the company's main name for official merchandise in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, according to The Pokémon Company International's About Us page.

Gaku Susai, chief product and experience officer at The Pokémon Company International, commented on the London plans as part of the announcement. The company's social impact page describes its mission as bringing the world together through Pokémon, and says it works with groups in the local communities where it has offices.

For now, the key facts are simple. A permanent store is planned for London, it is due to open by 2029, and more stores outside Asia are expected to follow. Anyone wanting the address, the opening date or the store's name will need to wait for the company to share them.